


Mamma mia (here we go again)

by obaewan



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Mamma Mia AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24736735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obaewan/pseuds/obaewan
Summary: “Well, I was ransacking some old trunks and I found this.”From her bag, Paula took out a old, pink journal, holding it between her hands. Silene and Julia stared at it, not really understanding what was going on. Paula just carried on.“It’s the diary she kept the year she was pregnant with me.”The meaning of her words dawned on the two girls, who immediately scooted nearer to Paula, curiosity winning over everything else.“July 17th. What a night! Sergio rowed me over to the little island - that’s here, Palawan. - We danced on the beach, and we kissed on the beach, and dot, dot, dot.” she concluded with a dreamy voice.Julia looked at Paula confused.“ ‘Dot, dot, dot.’ That’s what they did in the olden days.”Silene had already guessed what Paula meant, so she laughed at the face Julia made when she guessed it too. Julia joined her laughing and moved to sit beside Paula, who went on reading.“Sergio’s the one, I know he is. I’ve never felt like this before.”or: a Mamma mia! remake starring our favourite couple.
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 17
Kudos: 89





	1. Honey honey

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is the first time I write a serquel ff, and in english on top of all. english isn't my language, so if there are mistakes let me know. I hope you like this idea, it came in my mind while I was trying to sleep the other night, and I just had to write it down

_6 months to the wedding._

_I have a dream, a song to sing_   
_To help me cope with anything_

The boat glided smoothly on the calm water, crippling waves ruining the reflection of moon. The little village in front of her became bigger as she neared the port. She effortlessly docked the little boat and then walked up to the marketplace where she knew there was the only mailbox of the village.

_If you see the wonder of a fairy tale_   
_You can take the future even if you fail_

Paula looked down at the three letters she held, the moonlight bright enough she could read the names written on the envelopes, even if she knew them by heart.

One by one she put them inside, reading the names for the last time.

_Sergio Marquina._

_Mario Suárez._

_Ángel Rubio._

* * *

_The day before the wedding._

Screaming with excitement, Paula ran on the dock where her two best friends had just arrived from the mainland. Silene and Julia had barely the time to put down their bags before the girl hugged them, almost making them fall on the wooden boards.

“My God, you’re here!” said Paula as soon as they broke the embrace.

The sparkling on her left hand caught the attention of Silene, who took it in her own to stop the frantic movements Paula was making.

“Paula, it’s beautiful!” she said looking at the diamond ring.

“I want one.” added Julia, making the others laugh.

“I’m getting married tomorrow! I’m so glad you are here...” started Paula as she waited for her friends to pick up their bags before walking down the dock.

“...because I have a secret and I can’t tell anybody else.”

Silene and Julia suddenly stopped in their tracks, looking down at the brunette between them. 

“Paula, you’re knocked up?” they said shocked, already reaching down and putting their hands on Paula’s stomach.

“No, no, no!” she exclaimed. Then, she hugged her friends’ sides to start walking again. Her voice lowered as she dropped the bomb on them.

“I’ve invited my dad to my wedding.”

Julia put herself in front of them, stopping their walk again. 

“You are joking!”

“You found him at last?” asked then Silene, her mouth hanging open from the shock of the news.

“No, not exactly. Let’s sit down there and I’ll explain all.”

The three girls quickly reached the beginning of the path that led to the hotel, and on the right they found a place to sit down.

“Okay. You know what my mum always said when I asked about my father.” Paula started.

When the other two nodded, she went on with her story.

“It was a summer romance, and he’d gone long before she realised that she was expecting me. And I’d always kind of accepted that’s all I’d ever know.” 

She took a deep breath, excitement making her voice higher.

“Well, I was ransacking some old trunks and I found this.”

From her bag, Paula took out a old, pink journal, holding it between her hands. Silene and Julia stared at it, not really understanding what was going on. Paula just carried on.

“It’s the diary she kept the year she was pregnant with me.”

The meaning of her words dawned on the two girls, who immediately scooted nearer to Paula, curiosity winning over everything else.

“ _July 17th. What a night! Sergio rowed me over to the little island_ \- that’s here, Palawan. - _We danced on the beach, and we kissed on the beach, and dot, dot, dot._ ” she concluded with a dreamy voice.

Julia looked at Paula confused. 

“ ‘Dot, dot, dot.’ That’s what they did in the olden days.”

Silene had already guessed what Paula meant, so she laughed at the face Julia made when she guessed it too. Julia joined her laughing and moved to sit beside Paula, who went on reading.

“ _Sergio’s the one, I know he is. I’ve never felt like this before._ ”

_Honey honey, how you thrill me, a-ha, honey honey_   
_Honey honey, nearly kill me, a-ha, honey honey_   
_I'd heard about you before_   
_I wanted to know some more_   
_And now I know what they mean, you're a love machine_   
_Oh, you make me dizzy_

_Honey honey, let me feel it, a-ha, honey honey_   
_Honey honey, don't conceal it, a-ha, honey honey_   
_The way that you kiss good night_   
_The way that you hold me tight_   
_I feel like I wanna sing when you do your thing_

Singing and running around, they started to make their way to the hotel, the sun shining on the Philippine sea behind them.

Soon they found another spot, and while Silene and Julia sat on a rock, Paula stood in front of them, the journal open in her hands.

“So Sergio is your father!” stated Julia.

“Wait, there’s more” Paula said. “ _All this time, Sergio’s been telling me he loves me, and now he’s announced that he’s engaged, so he’s gone home to get married and I’m never going to see him again._ ”

“Poor Raquel.” Silene interrupted Paula.

“ _August 4th. What a night!_ ” Paula chuckled. “ _Mario rented a motorboat, and I took him over to the little island._ ”

As soon as she finished the sentence, Paula ran up the stone stairs that begun a few meters ahead of them, leaving Silene and Julia freezed on the spot. 

“Paula wait!”

The girl didn’t stop and went on reading up the stairs.

“ _Though I’m still obsessed with Sergio, Mario’s so wild. He’s such a funny guy. One thing led to another and dot, dot, dot!_ ”

Her friends squealed excited and a little breathless, finally catching up with Paula as the main house of the hotel stood in front of them.

“ _August 11th. Ángel turned up, out of the blue, so I said I’d show him the island._ ”

Silene and Julia already knew by now what was coming.

“ _He’s so sweet and understanding, I couldn’t help it and..._ ”

“...DOT DOT DOT!” screamed the three of them together, jumping up and down the last few steps.

“Here comes the bridesmaids!” exclaimed a voice behind them.

Paula quickly hid behind Julia to put the diary back in her bag, just as her mother appeared from the wooden door that led to the patio. 

“Raquel!” greeted her the two girls, hugging the woman and kissing her cheeks.

“Look at you! _Dios_ , stop growing you two!” 

Pulling back, Raquel looked at the three girls in front of her, smiling at the memories of all the trouble they had made as kids. 

“Already having fun, uh? I used to have fun at your age.” she said, turning back and catching the broom she’d discarded to greet them.

“Oh, we know!” whispered Silene, but Raquel heard something and turned to her, shooting her a suspicious glance, before shrugging it down.

_Honey honey, touch me baby, a-ha, honey honey_   
_Honey honey, hold me baby, a-ha, honey honey_   
_You look like a movie star (look like a movie star)_   
_But I know just who you are (I wonder just who you are)_   
_And honey, to say the least, you're a doggone beast_

Finally safe in Paula’s room, the girls could talk without fear of being heard.

“So, who’s your dad?” asked Julia.

“And which one did you invite?” chimed in Silene.

Paula just looked at them.

“ _Dios mío!_ ” they said together, each word punctuated by a backward step. They fell down on the little couch next to the door, watching Paula jump excited. It was going to be a mess, they were sure of it.

“Do they know?” asked Silene. Julia just stared at Paula, silent as she tried to wrap her head around all that was happening.

“What would you write to a total stranger? ‘Please come to my wedding, you might be my father’ “

Paula smiled slyly.  
  
“They think _mamá_ sent the invites, and with what’s in here…” 

Silene started to smile.

“...no surprise they said yes!”

The two girl seated on the couch jumped up on their feet, squealing with excitement. Together they started to sing and dance.

_Honey honey, how you thrill me, a-ha, honey honey_   
_Honey honey, nearly kill me, a-ha, honey honey_

Paula stepped on the small terrace of her bedroom, leaning against the railing. The sea breeze twirled her hair, and looking at the calm water, she sighed. Finally she was going to know who she really was.

_I'd heard about you before_   
_I wanted to know some more_   
_And now I’m about to see, what you mean to me..._


	2. Arrivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, it seems like I can't stop writing instead of studying. hope you like this chapter, the real fun will start soon!

_The day before the wedding._

The two cabs ran through the stalls on the seafront, making the people that had to jump out of the way shout angrily. With a screeching sound, the cabs turned and got on the dock.

The ferry for Palawan had just sailed, when the cabs stopped and two man got out, asking to the conducer to let them on, but the boat didn’t stop.

“ _Mierda!_ ” swore the shortest of the two, clutching the suitcase handle in a iron grip. 

“My sentiments exactly.” said the other, shooting an annoyed look at the old man on the ferry who waved his hand mockingly at them.

They looked at each other, then the first who had spoken extended his hand to the other.

“I’m Ángel Rubio.”

“Sergio Marquina.” 

They shook hands, then Ángel noticed a signboard behind them, written in Filipino.

“I’m trying to get to Palawan, when’s the next ferry?” he asked, trying to understand what was written.

Sergio leaned down and simply said “ _Lunes_.”

“What?” 

“Monday.” 

They both straightened up again and turned to stare at the now little ferry.

“ _Joder_.” swore again Ángel.

“My sentiments exactly.”

Ángel took out of his jacket a blue envelope, and Sergio stared at it suspiciously. It looked too similar to his wedding invitation.

“Bride or groom?” he asked then, too curious to keep his mouth closed.

“Bride.” answered the other. “Even if I’ve never met her.”

An awkward silence fell between them.

“Hey there!”

Sergio and Ángel looked up on their left, and they saw a sleek sailboat, with a man hanging from one of the main trees.

“You guys need a ride to Palawan?”

* * *

_Meanwhile, on the ferry._

“Excuse me, let me pass!” shouted a woman. “I have a senior citizen here with me.”

Behind her, Alicia scoffed.

“ _Mi madre_ needs to sit down!” 

The ferry rocked a bit, and they almost fell down, but the people on the boat helped them to stay on their feet.

“Mother? We’re the same age Ágata!” exclaimed Alicia.

Ágata laughed and sat down beside Alicia, squeezed between her and another woman.

“Well, not all of us.” retorted back Ágata.

They shuffled around for a bit, getting as comfortable as they could, given the little space that was left on the ferry.

A old man seated in front of them held up a bottle, offering it. Alicia refused gently shaking her head, while Ágata took it, murmured a “ _Salamat_ ” and opened it with her teeth, spitting the cork on the floor. Alicia rolled her eyes at her friend’s antics.

Beside her a woman held a basked on her knees, a white blanket preventing the redhead from seeing what was inside. Curious as ever, she lifted the nearest corner and screamed as the ugliest fish she'd ever seen appeared from beneath it. The disgusted scream scared everyone on the boat, and Ágata started coughing as the drink went down her throat the wrong way. A few laughters rose at the scene.

Luckily, the ferry reached soon its destination, and Alicia and Ágata got down the boat, the first losing a shoe along the way due to a heel that got stuck in the wood boards and almost falling down in the water. 

“Will you look at what the tide washed in?” 

The redhead and the brunette turned around, just to see Raquel standing at the end of the dock. Then, a second later, all of them were running down the dock, screaming and shouting like children, all dignity forgotten as they finally saw each other again after years. The other people on the dock laughed and shook their heads as they looked at the three woman hugging and tease each other.

“You look fantastic!” exclaimed Raquel when she stood back from the bear hug Ágata had crushed her in.

“You look like an old hippie.” said Alicia, looking at the blue overall and dirty, old sneakers Raquel wore.

Raquel giggled and scanned Alicia from head to toe.

“These are new, though. Where did you get these?” she exclaimed, covering Alicia’s breasts with her hands. Chuckles rose again when Alicia shouted “Husband number three!”

Eventually, they collected all the bags and started to make their way to Raquel’s old jeep, joking and making fun of each other all the way up to the hotel.

“What a couple of role models you two are for Paula!” Raquel said after the bickering of her friends about finding the right man for all of them ended. “A serial bride and a little hermit over here!”

“That's me! I'm a lone wolf!” howled Ágata, earning another round of laughers.

* * *

_At the hotel._

Julia and Silene stood in front of the mirror, looking stunning in the dresses Paula had made. 

“We're going to look fabulous tomorrow.” murmured Julia, mesmerized by the capable hands of Paula working on one strap of her dress.

“I want the perfect wedding, and I want my father to give me away.“ Paula said, lifting her eyes to search the ones of her best friends. She pulled them to her by the shoulders, hugging them tightly.

“Better be a wide aisle.” Silene couldn’t help to blurt out, and earned herself a hair tug from Paula.

At that moment the door swung open and Paula’s fiancé entered the room.

“Cinci! Come here _guapo_!” shouted Silene, dragging the young men in an embrace. The momentum however, made them fall on the bed, and Paula rolled her eyes, but the scene still managed to make her smile.

“Put me down. I'm getting married tomorrow.” said Cincinnati with a chuckle, standing up from the bed.

“So, what do you think?” asked Julia as Cinci took her hand and made her twirl around.

“Oh yes.” he simply said.

“ 'Oh, yes.' If you had your way, it'd be a three-minute wedding in jeans and T-shirts, washed down with a bottle of beer.” retorted back Paula with another eyeroll.

“You make me sound so unromantic!” said Cincinnati, before putting an arm around her waist, dipping her down and giving her a mindblowing kiss.

“You’re forgiven.” murmured Paula against his lips, before shoving him out of the room. “Now, get out! We’re busy here.”

“Hey!” he exclaimed. “I only came to get some props for tonight’s party.” 

“Ohhhh, the bachelor's party!” said Silene grinning, still sprawled on the bed. Cinci grinned back and grabbed a few things from the dresser next to the door.

The girls waited until Cincinnati left, then went on with the final fitting of the dresses.

“Why haven't you told him you've invited your dads? Raquel's absolutely gonna kill you when she finds out.” asked Julia after a few moments of silence.

“Because he would say that I'd have to tell my mom. But then, by the time she finds out, it'll be too late.” said Paula.

“Paula…” started Julia, turning to face the girl.

“Listen. I feel like there's a part of me missing.” said Paula, looking down at the floor. “But when I’ll meet my dad, I know everything will fall into place.”

Silene lifted her face with a finger under her chin, saw her clear eyes shining with unshed tears, and then wrapped her in a hug.

* * *

_On the sailboat, near Palawan._

After having secured the last rope, Sergio moved to the back of the boat and leaned back against the railing, taking in the scent of the water.

“You're Mario Suárez, aren't you? ' _A Bloke in a Boat in Botswana_ '.” asked Ángel, who had shed his jacket and now sat beside Suárez.

“Yes, I am.” he simply said, focused on avoiding sand banks now that they were getting near to the coast.

“You know, your books are a godsend on dull business trips, when with my mind I'm trekking across some remote corner of the planet.” Ángel went on.

Suárez chuckled and turned to look at Ángel. 

“You should try it for real sometime.”

An uncomfortable silence fell after that.

“So… You're a close friend of Donna's?” asked Sergio to Suárez, breaking the ice.

“No, I haven't heard from her for 20 years. And then this invite, out of the blue.” the man said.

“You know, that's a coincidence, neither had I.” Ángel said absentmindedly.

“We’re almost there!” exclaimed suddenly Suárez, as the boat turned left and the docks were now in front of them.

“Come on Ángel!” 

Ángel got up and went to loosen the ropes that would allow them to dock safely, almost falling on the slippery floor.

“Right. Wait… I've got it. Fine. Fine.”


	3. Catching up

“So, when are the lovebirds flying the nest?” asked Ágata as the jeep stopped near the hotel entrance.

“Who knows?” Raquel scoffed. “You know, I do not know what is going on in that child's head sometimes.”

Raquel turned off the engine and rested her hands on the wheel. She leaned down and propped her head up on her hands, breathing deeply before straightening up again.  
  
“Paula wants a big white wedding, and she and Cinci are making all kinds of plans for the hotel.”  
  
“Yeah, but do you really want her to leave?” inquired further Alicia.

Raquel turned her stare on her hands. 

“Well, I want what's best for her, be it on this island with me or somewhere else.”

She then lifted her eyes from the wheel and saw Cincinnati coming towards them.

“Cinci! Come meet my backup girls.” she called out to the boy.

“Backup girls, _mis cojones_!” Alicia and Ágata both shouted back.

Cinci jogged up the last few meters to the jeep just as Ágata climbed over the low car door, and he bent down to kiss her cheek.

“You must be Ágata.” he guessed.

“That’s me!” she greeted, moving over to let Alicia get out of the jeep.

Cinci extended his hand and helped her.

“And you must be Alicia.” he said as Alicia basically threw her arms around his shoulders to kiss him on the cheek.

“I've heard so much about you.”

“All bad, I hope.” chuckled the redhead.

“And all true.” chimed in Raquel, struggling to pull one of Alicia’s bags out of the trunk.

“Come on, let’s get you settled down!” Raquel said once they got down all the bags.

“Ugh! Why did I wear stilettos? _Dios!_ ” muttered Alicia to herself after the long trek up the stone stairs.

“I didn’t remember the stairs to be so long.” huffed Ágata, slouching down a stone bench, trying to catch her breath. “I need oxygen!”  
  
Raquel couldn’t help it but laugh, seeing her friends breathless after that short trek, thinking that years ago they could stay on stage for hours singing and dancing wildly and never get tired.

“ _Tía_ Ágata!” squealed Paula as she stepped on her little terrace and immediately disappeared again to join the women in the little patio.

“Look at Paula. She's gotten so beautiful!” said Alicia turning to Raquel with shining eyes.

The wooden door opened and Paula appeared, running up to Ágata, who hugged her tightly.

“Come here to me, Paula Murillo. You get _más bonita_ every time I see you!” the brunette uttered against the girl’s hair. Then, she leaned back, keeping Paula at arm’s length and scanning her from head to toes.

“I bet you don't remember me.” claimed Alicia, still standing beside Raquel, both with shining eyes now.

“Of course I do, _tía_ Alicia. You haven't changed at all.” exclaimed Paula running to hug her too.

When Paula stepped back, Raquel hugged her from behind and smiled in her hair.

“Look at my baby, her whole life ahead of her.”

Paula struggled to get out of her mother’s hold on her, annoyed yet smiling.

“Oh, _por favor mamá_ , I'm getting married, not joining a convent!” 

Raquel let her go while everyone laughed, and watched her little girl going back to the main patio before turning back to her friends. Then, she followed her daughter’s steps and stepped in the main patio, where colorful sheets were drying under the hot sun.

“I meant to get the laundry down before you came, sorry for the mess.” Raquel said, pointing to the sheets and grabbing two of them to put them away.

“Anyway, if she were more like me, she wouldn't be getting married at twenty.”

“Or married at all!” smiled Alicia, making her laugh.

“Alicia, get inside, I smell housework here!” teased Ágata as a few women came out from one of the buildings and started to pull the sheets down the wires.

From another structure came out Cincinnati, holding two glasses of water for Alicia and Ágata. They took the glasses, gratefulness written all over their face.

“You know _tía_ , we’re designing a new website for the hotel.” Paula said, coming to stand beside Cincinnati and putting an arm around his waist.

“Yeah, they’re gonna put me… online?” Raquel said unsure. 

“That’s right. I just think this place has so much potential, but no one knows we’re here” smiled Cincinnati, his eyes roaming all around the place.

“Also, this was once supposed to be the site of Parvati's fountain, you know, the goddess of committed love.” Paula said, her eyes shining as she looked up at Cinci. “And if you drank the water, you were supposed to find true love and perfect happiness.” 

As soon as she finished speaking, Cincinnati pulled her closer and kissed her soundly. Raquel decided that it was a good moment to usher Alicia and Ágata away, before they could manage to embarrass the young couple.

“I'll have a glass of that.” Alicia said, trailing behind the blonde with all her bags.

“Waiter, a bucket for me!” joked Ágata.

After they got settled down, Raquel went back to pick up the dry sheets. When the last one was folded and put away, Alicia appeared from behind the corner with a wine bottle in her hands. In that moment a loud boom was heard, and the dolphin mosaic at the center of the patio cracked. Raquel and the other women took a step back, scared.

“What's going on?” asked Alicia, not understanding what was happening.

“Didn’t you feel it? The earth moved, _cariño_.” the blonde smiled, tapping her foot on the ruined mosaic. Then she saw the bottle Alicia was holding. “Don't think about it, come on. Let's go have fun.”

They got back to the room just as Ágata came out of the shower.

“A bottle of champagne just because I took my shower in 10 minutes? Wow!” exclaimed the brunette tightening the towel around herself. Raquel stuck out her tongue, Alicia just raised her middle finger.

“Such great friends I have.” she pouted, picking up one of the glass Raquel had placed on the coffee table.

“ _Vale vale_ , now shut up and drink.” giggled Raquel as Alicia opened the bottle. They all cheered when the cork popped away and the golden liquid filled the glasses.

“Cheers!”

Two hours later, they were updated on everything that had happened during the time they hadn’t seen each other.

“ _Dios_ , I got a crack in my courtyard, I gotta go fix it” gasped suddenly Raquel.

“Raquel? Raquel, _cariño_ , listen to me.” 

“I'm serious, Alicia, let me go.”

“Why? We’re far from finished.” said Alicia smiling slyly and standing up to take a lollipop out of her purse.

“Yeah, we want to know about the now, Raquel.” added Ágata. still keeping her arm arond the blonde’s shoulders to keep her seated on the couch.

“So Raquelita, are you being taken care of?” 

“What do you mean?” asked the blonde, turning to shoot a confused look at Ágata.

“Are you getting any?” the brunette clarified.

“Oh, you mean…”

“Exactly! So? There’s anyone?” Alicia pratically begged.

“No, it takes too much energy, and I have an hotel to keep going.” shrugged Raquel, relaxing against Ágata.

Alicia just stared her down. 

“I think that’s gonna change soon…”

“I think not.” replied Raquel. “I'm so glad that whole part of my life is over: You know, seriously, I do not miss it at all.” and having said that, she gulped down the rest of the wine in her glass.

  
At the same moment, Suárez dropped the anchor of his boat and ten minutes later, the three men were walking down the dock to the hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m on twitter, @obaewan_ if you want to say hi☺️


	4. Mamma mia!

From one building used as a storeroom came out Paula, carrying a box. She bent down to put it on top of other boxes, whistling to herself. When she got up again, she found three men in front of her, facing the sea.

“ _Hola_ , may I help you?” she asked. The men turned to her, and Paula felt her heart skip a beat.

“I'm Mario Suárez.” said the tallest of them, taking off his sunglasses.

“I'm Ángel Rubio.” said then the shortest of them.

“Sergio Marquina.” said the last one. “You are expecting us?”

“ _Dios mío…_ ” murmured Paula, stunned at the sight of her possible fathers in front of her for the first time. Her eyes kept going between the three of them, taking in their appearances.

“You're not Raquel’s daughter? Paula, right?” asked Sergio. Paula simply raised her shoulders.

“I thought you looked familiar.” added Suárez.

The three men looked intensely at her, stricken by Paula’s resemblance to the young Raquel.

“Would you mind if we see our rooms before we see your mother?” asked Ángel after a few moments of silence, shifting his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He seemed like the most nervous of them, fidgeting while the others just looked around them with curiosity in their eyes.

“Sure.” 

“It's just that I'd quite like to freshen up before the big reunion.” he added hastily.

”No! No!” exclaimed Paula, suddenly nervous. Sergio raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “I mean, yes, but come this way.”

Paula went back into the storeroom, but had to go back because they were not following her.

“Come on!” 

She led them through old rooms filled with stored food supplies, tools, souvenirs from other cities, until they reached an old goat house.

“It's just right here.” 

Paula pushed them inside the goat house, ignoring Sergio asking where her mother was. As soon as he had entered the goat house she closed the doors behind her and pointed the stairs.

“Up you go!”

One by one they got up, going through the hatch to reach the room Paula had fixed for them. A confused frown appeared on Sergio’s face, while Suárez just smiled and Ángel started to become frustrated. There were only two beds made, and an empty air mattress was folded near them.

“You know,” started Ángel, pacing up and down the room as Paula hauled herself up through the hatch. “I don't want to seem ungrateful for the scenic tour, but might I be shown my room now?”

“Well, don't hold your breath, Ángel, but I think this is your room.” commented quietly Suárez, having already claimed a bed.

“Can we see Raquel now?” asked Sergio, giving Paula a stern look. The girl scratched the back of her head embarrassed.

”I sent the invites. My mom doesn't know anything…”

A disappointed sigh came from the men, and Sergio also brought his hand to his forehead. Paula started to feel bad for the situation she had placed them in. Only then was starting to sink in her head the notion that they were basically strangers to her mother, having spent at most a week with her twenty years ago. 

“Well, she's done so much for me, and she's always talking about you guys and the good old days, and I thought, what an amazing surprise for her that you are all gonna be at my wedding.” she said in a rush, trying to justify herself and her actions.

“Wait Paula, I can't be here.” said Sergio nervously, pushing his glasses up his nose and walking to stand in front of her. “The last time I saw your mother, she said she never wanted to see me again.”

“But that was years ago! _Por favor,_ it would mean a lot to me.”

“Why?” asked Sergio, staring in those chocolate eyes that were so similar to Raquel’s in colour, but had a shape that reminded him of someone he knew. He just couldn’t say who. Paula opened her mouth, trying to say something, but words were failing her as she stood under Sergio’s gaze.

“Listen, I can see that you’ve been to a great deal of trouble.” Ángel interrupted. “Might I suggest that we all reconvene on your boat?”

The answer came from Suárez, that, now leaning back on the bed, had already taken out his notebook to start scribbling something.

“Nope.”

“Why?” complained Ángel.

“It's an adventure Ángel, it's good for you.”

“ _Vale_ , when I sent the invites, it was a long shot that you'd even reply.” tried Paula, waiting for all the men to be looking at her. “And now you've come all this way for a wedding. Surely there must have been some special reason for you to be here. Like some siren call, maybe?”

Paula looked at them trying to convey what she was thinking. _One of you is my father, how can’t you feel any kind of connection with me?_

They just chuckled, and she crossed her arms in front of her.

“You're a little minx, you know that? You're just like your mother…” smiled somberly Sergio.

Then, the sound of a woman humming a song came from downstairs, and Paula paled at hearing her mother’s voice. _Joder!_

“It's Raquel.” 

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no!” exclaimed Paula keeping her voice low to avoid being heard from her mother. “Listen, listen, she can't know. I'm going to go.”

She got in front of a window and removed the wood panel that replaced the glass, thrusting it in Ángel’s hands. “Promise me that you'll not tell anybody that I invited you. _Vale?_ Promise?” she said as she climbed out of the window, 

“You got it _querida_.”

“It's a promise.” 

“I might regret it, but okay. There wouldn't, by any chance, happen to be a trouser press on the island, would there?”

Paula just slammed the window shutters close and climbed down the side of the goat house.

* * *

“Where did they put it, _joder_? When I need something the things just disappear…” muttered Raquel, insulting mentally the young boys that usually came there to put tools away but never left them were they should be.

_SLAM!_

Raquel looked up, wondering what could have made that noise. She got up the stairs and pushed up the hatch, expecting it to open and reveal an empty room. Instead the hatch didn’t open. It was as if there was something heavy on it, stopping Raquel to open it. But she was able to lift it a little.

In a moment she was brought back to those months spent travelling around the world, precisely to the day she’d first set foot in Puerto Princesa and she’d bumped into a charming and sweet, yet shy, young man. The same young man that two weeks later had left her heartbroken, telling her he had to go back to Spain because he was engaged. Sergio had made her feel love for the first time in her life and still he’d had the courage to lie to her. And that’s why she had then sought comfort in other’s men arms.

And now, they were all there, together, in her old goat house, twenty years later.

_I was cheated by you and I think you know when_

_So I made up my mind, it must come to an end_

With a strangled gasp Raquel let the hatch close behind her and ran down the stairs, ducking to avoid the low floor. She closed the doors behind her and leaned against the stone wall, closing her eyes.

_Look at me now, will I ever learn?_

_I don't know how but I suddenly lose control_

_There's a fire within my soul_

_Just one look and I can hear a bell ring_

_One more look and I forget everything, oh oh_

Then, the urge to understand if she had really seen the men or if it was just a bad dream overcome her, so she turned to the side of the wall, where a few stone steps led to a ladder. Climbing up, Raquel reached the window Paula had used a few minutes earlier to get out. But when she opened the shutters, she found only the wood board they used as the window glass. An old poster of one of the shows she and the girls had made back in Spain was hung on a corner of it.

_Mamma mia, here I go again_

_My my, how can I resist you?_

_Mamma mia, does it show again?_

_My my, just how much I've missed you_

Remembering that there was also a hatch on the rooftop of the goat house, Raquel carried on climbing the ladder, finally pulling herself up on the flat rooftop. She was trying hard not to be heard from the men under her, but everytime she set her foot down, the boards creaked. She almost fell back trying to avoid the squeaking boards, so she had to step forward, falling on her hands and knees.

_Yes, I've been brokenhearted_

_Blue since the day we parted_

_Why, why did I ever let you go?_

_Mamma mia, now I really know_

_My my, I should not've let you go_

Not caring anymore if they heard her, Raquel kneeled next to the hatch, trying to open it. She had to struggle a few minutes before it opened and she was able to look inside the goat house.

_I was angry inside when I knew we were through_

_I can't count all the times I've cried over you_

_Look at me now, will I ever learn?_

_I don't know how but I suddenly lose control_

_There's a fire within my soul_

_Just one look and I can hear a bell ring_

_One more look and I forget everything, oh oh_

She peered down, careful, taking in the sight of her three past lovers. They were clearly looking older than the last time she saw them, but they were still handsome. _Especially Sergio… Joder Raquel, remember what he did to you!_

But she couldn’t help it. Forgetting the other two, her eyes focused on Sergio, on the black rimmed glasses that framed his eyes, those clever eyes in which she’d lost herself so many times. Those strong arms that had held her, while sleeping, while walking on the beach, while making love on that same beach… Raquel blushed at the memories Sergio evoked in her, and rolled to the side, burying her face in her hands.

Who was she trying to fool? She thought she’d forgotten him, and for a few years she actually did it, but then all it took to make her fall in love with him again was a simple glance. 

But Raquel couldn’t afford to love him again. She had to be strong the first time he left because of little Paula growing inside of her, and then there was the hotel. She had no choice then. But now, she wasn’t sure her heart would survive another wound like that. So she made her decision: they had to go away. _Sergio had to go away._

_Mamma mia, here I go again_

_My my, how can I resist you?_

_Mamma mia, does it show again?_

_My my, just how much I've missed you_

_Yes, I've been brokenhearted_

_Blue since the day we parted_

_Why, why did I ever let you go_

_Just one more look,_ she thought, and poked her head through the hatch. Only this time, she somehow managed to lose her balance and fell down the hatch, landing on the air mattress Ángel had just finished to inflate.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like it, kudos and comments are always appreciated :3


	5. Chiquitita, tell me the truth

“You always knew how to make an entrance.” murmured Sergio, looking down at Raquel. She had somehow managed to fall onto the air mattress, and luckily didn’t get hurt.

She propped herself up on her elbows and kept going with her eyes between the three of them. “I'd better be dreaming. You'd better not be here.”

“You want me to pinch you, Raquel?” asked Suárez, bending down to pinch her leg.

“No! You keep your hands to yourself, Mario Suárez!” laughed Raquel, kicking his hands away.

"You probably don't recognise me, do you?”

Raquel looked at Ángel, a sweet smile appearing on her lips. “Ángel! It is you!”

“I probably changed a bit, but you certainly haven't.” he said, earning the approval of the other two.

Suddenly Raquel came to her senses and got up from the mattress, struggling to stand still.

“Why are you here? What are you doing here?” she asked, waiting for an explanation from everyone of them.

“I'm writing a travel piece.” said Suárez.

“I'm here on a spontaneous holiday.” explained Ángel, and Raquel eyed him suspiciously. Then she turned to Sergio, and her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. He stuttered under her piercing stare, unable to come up with a believable lie.

“I-I just dropped in to say hi.” he spat out, pushing his glasses up his nose. Raquel didn’t believe any of them.

“Okay. Tell me the truth. What is this?” she asked, her hands on her hips.

“It's one of those serendipitous moments in life when three complete strangers share a common thought.” answered calmly Suárez.

“Strangers?” she scoffed. “You don't know each other?”

“That's generally the definition.”

Raquel rolled her eyes at Sergio’s sarcasm.

“Okay, _bien,_ but who... Why are you here?” she asked again, trying to understand why they were there. “Who said that you could stay up in my old goat house?” 

The men scrambled to say something, and Raquel looked at them delighted of having messed them up.

“Didn’t catch the name.”

“Filipino lady.”

“Well, she spoke Filipino.” 

“Yeah. Or maybe she said we couldn't stay in the old goat house.”

“Yeah, maybe that was it, in Filipino.”

“There you go. That's it, that's it.” she sighed. “You can't stay here because I'm closed and I'm full. And I'm busy, I'm really…”

Now it was her trying to find a good reason for them to have to go away. “I have a wedding, my… A local girl’s getting married…” she said, pulling away from the hatch the chair that was holding it closed.

“Raquel, don’t worry about us.” said Sergio calmly. “Mario here is used to roughing it.”

“And Ángel here-”

“I'm spontaneous.” he interrupted.

Raquel raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”

Her eyes locked with Sergio’s, and time seemed to stop. 

“I just wanted to see the island.” Their eyes couldn’t look anywhere else, and Raquel felt her heartbeat quicken. _Stop it!_

“You know what it meant to me” finished Sergio after a moment of silence. 

Ángel and Suárez stared at them, both curious at the silent exchange that happened between Raquel and Sergio.

“ _Vale_ , I'm gonna arrange for a boat to take you all back to the mainland.” Raquel said, opening the hatch and going down through it.

“I have a boat.” exlaimed Suárez. Raquel stopped in her tracks and looked up at him.

“You have a boat? Good, get on it, and anchors away.” 

“Hey, Raquel!” said Ángel, stopping her once again as she was trying to go away from there. 

“it’s good to see you!” exclaimed all three together.

She just slammed the hatch behind her and ran down the stairs, tears pooling in her eyes.

She ran and ran until she saw Alicia and Ágata at the little bar in the main patio. Once she reached them, she rested her hand on Alicia’s shoulder, catching the breath she needed to speak.

“Where’s Paula?”

Rio, the young boy who worked for Raquel, making drinks in that bar and in the one on the beach, answered her

“I think she went down to the beach.”

“What's up?” asked Agata, having noticed her friend’s red and puffy eyes. As soon as the words left her mouth, Raquel ran away towards the restroom, tears eventually flowing down her cheeks.

“ _Mierda,_ Raquel!” shouted the brunette, immediately leaping down the stool she was seated on. 

Alicia went after her friends, bringing with her the sex on the beach she had ordered, taking a sip while quickly walking and almost spilling it on Ágata as she bumped into her. 

“I'm sorry.” she murmured in response to Ágata’s glance. “Try to talk to her.” They could hear Raquel sniffling from behind the closed door, and their hearts broke at hearing their friend so distressed. The brunette raised a hand, as if saying _I’ve got it all under control._

“ _Chiquitita,_ tell me what's wrong…” she softly sang, the words of their song easily coming out from her lips. When they heard only soft whimpers, they looked at each other. _I’ll try_ mouthed Alicia.

“I have never seen such sorrow…” sang then Alicia. They were met with low whimpers.

“In your eyes, and the wedding is tomorrow!” they exclaimed together, making Raquel only sob faster. Then, without notice, the door slammed open and Raquel ran to the sink, closing the main door of the restroom on the way. She looked at herself in the slightly fogged mirror, all puffy eyes, wet cheeks and tousled blonde hair. Alicia and Ágata came up to hug her from behind, and they all stared at their reflection.

_Chiquitita, tell me the truth_

_I'm a shoulder you can cry on_

_Your best friend_

_I'm the one you must rely on_

_You were always sure of yourself_

_Now I see you've broken a feather_

_I hope we can patch it up together_

Suddenly, Alicia smirked, and a second later Raquel found herself sitting on the sink counter, her friends already working on cheering her up, drying her cheeks and combing her tresses back in her usual work hairstyle.

_Chiquitita, you and I know_

_How the heartaches come and they go_

_And the scars, they're leaving_

_You’ll be dancing once again_

_And the pain will end_

_You will have no time for grieving_

_Chiquitita, you and I cry_

_But the sun is still in the sky_

_And shining above you_

_Let me hear you sing once more_

_Like you did before_

_Sing a new song, Chiquitita_

Cherry on top, Ágata put a red flower in her hair and Alicia handed over her sex on the beach, encouraging Raquel in drinking it. And she did so, downing a long sip of the sweet drink, before giving an explanation of her behaviour to the women in front of her.

“It's her dad.”

They stared at her. “Whose dad?" asked after a bit Alicia.

“Paula's dad.” blurted out Raquel and then took another sip of the drink. “Remember how I said it was Sergio? Sergio the professor, who had to go home to get married?”

She waited for them to nod. “I'm not sure that it was him, because there were two… two other guys around the same time.”

“Raquel Murillo, you shady lady!” exclaimed Alicia, givinge the blonde a dirty and malicious smile.

“Why didn't you tell us?” asked shocked Ágata.

“Well, I never knew that I would ever, ever have to.” simply said Raquel, raising her sholders. “I never imagined I'd see all three of them in my old goat house the day before my daughter's wedding, that’s why!”

Alicia turned immediately to Ágata, sharing her troublemaking smirk. “The old goat house?” they murmured together, running out of the restroom and leaving Raquel behind.

“No no, wait! _Joder!_ ” Raquel shouted while going after them. “Wait a minute! Don't let them hear you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for slightly shorter chapter, but I've been busier than the usual and I haven't had much time to write. I'll try to come back soon


	6. Dancing Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! sorry if I haven’t updated in a long time, but I was on holiday with my friends, then I had a little writer’s block, so I wasn’t really in the mood to write. 
> 
> warning, the chapter is longer than my usual, and unbetaed, so forgive me for any grammatical error, I hope you like it! 🙏🏻
> 
> (from here the story will be different from the movie, but I will still follow the events as they are narrated, I’m only twisting them a little)

“There's no one here!” exclaimed Ágata as she poked her head through the hatch.

”Are you sure they were really here?” asked Alicia from beside Ágata.

”Of course I'm sure!” almost screeched Raquel joining her friends. “Or you think I would forget my daughter's dads? They were all here: Sergio Marquina, Mario Suárez and Ángel Rubio.”

Closing the hatch, they walked down the stairs and out of the goat house. As Alicia and Ágata trailed behind her friend, they heard her muttering to herself.

“They must’ve gone back to their boat. I hope they run aground and drown. What are they even doing here? It's like some hideous trick of fate.”

Eventually they arrived in Raquel’s bedroom, and the blonde started absented-mindedly to clean the mess she’d left behind that morning.

“Do they know about Paula?” asked her Ágata, helping her with the bed.

Raquel lifted her eyes from the linen sheets to look at her. “What are they, psychic? No! I've never told a soul.”

“Oh, Raquel, keeping it to yourself all these years...” said somberly Alicia from the desk chair she was seating on, watching as the other two cleaned up.

“It doesn't matter about me.” retorted back Raquel. “The only thing that matters is that Paula never finds out”

“Well, maybe she would be cool with it.” fired back the redhead, along with a raised eyebrow that made Raquel squirm.

“'Cool with it’? You don't know _mi hija_. This would be like a bombshell!”

“ _Cariño,_ they've gone!”

“Ágata, I don't know that. I don't know where they are. I don't know why they're here.” almost shouted Raquel, pacing up and down the room with her hands in her hair. “And I have brought this all on myseIf because I was a stupid, reckless little slut!” she exclaimed, falling back on the now made bed and hiding her face in a pillow.

“Oh, come on. What happened to our Raquel? Life and soul of the party?” asked Ágata, pulling on Raquel’s hands to get her up the bed.

“I grew up.” the blonde said, struggling against her friend’s efforts to make her stand up.

“Well, then grow back down again.” simply shrugged Alicia, still seated as she looked at the scene behind her through the mirror.

“Screw them if they can't take a joke.” exclaimed Ágata, letting go of Raquel’s hands and going over to Alicia. As Raquel plopped back down on the bed and hid again under a pillow, the brunette pulled Alicia up from the chair, making her twirl as they started singing. 

_You can dance_

_You can jive_

_Having the time of your life_

_Ooh, see that girl_

_Watch that scene_

_Digging the dancing queen_

_Friday night and the lights are low_

_Looking out for a place to go_

_Where they play the right music_

_Getting in the swing_

_You come to look for a king_

_Anybody could be that guy_

_Night is young and the music's high_

_With a bit of rock music_

_Everything is fine_

_You're in the mood for a dance_

_And when you get the chance_

Raquel peeked out from under the pillow, watching as her friends tried to cheer her up yet another time that day, using all kind of things they found in her room, from an old hairdryer to a spare unused tampon discarded on the dresser. Slowly she started to move her foot in time with the song, affected by the rhythm and cheerful voices, until she gave in and started to sing with them, a smile gracing her lips.

_You are the dancing queen_

_Young and sweet_

_Only seventeen_

_Dancing queen_

_Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah_

_You can dance_

_You can jive_

_Having the time of your life_

_Ooh, see that girl_

_Watch that scene_

_Digging the dancing queen_

Raquel laughed and sang, all while jumping on the bed like she was really seventeen, and for the first time that day she felt truly relaxed and carefree. Still singing, she jumped down the newly messed up bed and opened a box in her closet, full of their old costumes. They pulled them out, digging into the box until they all found what they liked, and danced with the costumes on like they hadn’t done in years.

_You're a teaser, you turn 'em on_

_Leave 'em burning and then you're gone_

_Looking out for another_

_Anyone will do_

_You're in the mood for a dance_

_And when you get the chance_

Wanting to have more fun, Alicia dragged the blonde out of the room and down the stairs. In a corner of the patio, some of Raquel’s employees were sitting around a table, enjoying a quick break from the wedding preparations. Raquel went over the one sitting at the head of the table, a big man nicknamed Helsinki, and put around hs neck the blue feather boa she was holding, teasing him in front of the others. Everyone started laughing, while Ágata stood still, her eyes fixated on the smiling man and her cheeks heating up a little.

After a few second she shook her head and followed her friends, who had managed to make sing and dance the women resting there.

_You are the dancing queen_

_Young and sweet_

_Only seventeen_

_Dancing queen_

_Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah_

_You can dance_

_You can jive_

_Having the time of your life_

_Ooh, see that girl_

_Watch that scene_

_Digging the dancing queen_

Laughing and dancing, the group reached the island dock. Once they stop singing, laughters and giggles rose from the women, all cheering and dancing together. Raquel smirked slyly at Alicia, who looked at her startled, having sensed what she was about to do. Before she could say anything to stop Raquel, Alicia felt her hands pushing her down in the water, but refusing to let her win, she grabbed her wrist. Both fell in the shallow water, Raquel coming up spluttering and Alicia laughing at the startled look on her friend’s face. 

“Hey! Having fun without me?” exclaimed Ágata from the dock, and when the two turned to her, it was only to see her doing a cannonball.

Coming up once again, Raquel swam to her friends and hugged them.

* * *

Fresh out of the shower, Raquel sat down at her desk, staring at herself in the mirror hung above it. She wasn’t fully able to wrap her head around all that had happened in the last few hours. She’d truly thought she would never see her three past lovers again, but she realised that it hadn’t really been that bad. Wait, seeing _Suárez and Ángel_ again hadn’t been that bad. Sergio… he was completely another thing. 

Her heart still ached at the thought of how things had ended between them. They had spent the best two weeks of their life, exploring the island together, talking and laughing and kissing and holding each other. Then, when Sergio explained why he had to go back to Spain, she had suddenly felt empty. Even looking at him had made her want to throw up. She had felt used, because that’s what he’d done, no? He had fun with her while he was away from his fiancée - _he was engaged for god’s sake! -_ and then tossed her away when it was time to go back. So she had turned deaf ears to all he was saying, that he was going to broke up with Veronica and that he was then coming back here to her, but she didn’t believe him. She had simply gathered her things up while he was still rambling excuses, and then had left, silent tears running down her cheeks. 

Time proved her right, as he never came back, and she met both Ángel and Suárez, managing for a few weeks to forget Sergio. But then, little Paula had decided to make herself known, and as Raquel looked down at the two lines on the pregnancy test, all the feelings Sergio evoked in her came back in a rush. Anger, resentment, sadness, but also love. 

_I still love him,_ thought Raquel, looking at the photos attached in the mirror corners. _I still love him and that’s why it hurts so much._

Her hand reached up to a photo of her and Paula at the beach, the same beach where she and Sergio had kissed for the first time. The picture below it was instead of Paula drawing a house, and Raquel’s heart twisted as she remembered the messy sketch Sergio had once made on the back of a check: a small but cozy hotel they could build here on Palawan and run together. Their dream that had then become her reality.

Choking back a sob, Raquel closed her eyes and turned away from the mirror. Once her breathing had slowed down, she got up, got dressed and pulled her damp hair back in a messy braid. She had an hotel to tend to and a crack in the pavement to fix.

But it seemed that the crack had to wait once again, for when she kneeled down to close it, Sergio appeared from behind a corner, and as soon as he saw her, he walked up to her.

“Raqu-”

“ _Qué_ _?_ I’m busy now.” she snapped, with a harsher tone than she intended to use. Sergio didn’t let the coldness in her voice stop him, and kneeled beside her.

“I just wanted to speak with you…” he murmured, suppressing his urge to reach out and take her hand. 

“Must it be now?” 

“Look Raquel, I know you don’t want me to be here or hear what I’m trying to say, but please. Listen to me and then I’ll go if that’s still what you want.” he said firmly, and Raquel looked at him, a little startled by his tone.

_Where are those happy days, they seems so hard to find_

_I tried to reach for you, but you have closed your mind_

_Whatever happened to our love?_

_I wish I understood_

_It used to be so nice, it used to be so good_

“ _Vale_ , spit out what you have to say and then go.”

His shoulders relaxed slightly, but Raquel could easily read the nervousness in the way his jaw was set and he kept pushing his glasses up his nose.

“ _Bien_. First, I want to say that I’m sorry for all the pain you’ve felt when I left you. I know I should have told you from the start that I was engaged, but back then I was afraid that I would’ve lost you if you knew. Only after I realised that I managed to do the only thing I didn’t want to, which was hurting you. I decided not to tell you immediately because…” 

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

“... because I had fallen in love with you, and if I had told you about Veronica, I would have never known how kissing you, holding you would have felt. It was selfish to do so, I now know, but twenty years ago it didn’t look like that.”

Their eyes met when he stopped, and Sergio could see her eyes shine with unshed tears, even if she was trying to hide how much his words were affecting her. She knew that opening himself like this was difficult for him and he appreciated that she was - unconsciously maybe? - encouraging him to do so by simply listening to his words.

“I know that what you felt must have been more painful, but I can’t deny that looking at you while you were picking your things up, not listening to what I was saying… It crushed my heart watching you leave after all I had tried to do to make you stay. So I had decided to show you how much I meant all I had said.”

“What do you mean?” Raquel asked, a strange feeling settling in her stomach.

“As soon as I landed in Madrid I called Veronica and told her we had to speak. We met and I told her that I couldn’t marry her anymore. She listened to all I said and simply threw the ring at my feet. I felt like a weight had disappeared from my shoulders. I stayed in Madrid the time she needed to take her things from my flat, and then I flew back, ready to find you again…”

He stopped once again to breathe deeply a few times.

“I came back here and at the port they told me that you were already with another guy.”

_So when you're near me, darling can't you hear me_

_S. O. S._

_The love you gave me, nothing else can save me_

_S. O. S._

_When you're gone_

_How can I even try to go on?_

_When you're gone_

_Though I try how can I carry on?_

A strangled sound left her throat as she realised: thay had lost so much time when they could’ve been together all those years, if only she hadn’t been so eager to forget him. Well, she could have waited a little more time, but honestly? She had wanted to forget the pain she was feeling, and at the time, throwing herself into another guy’s arms had seemed like the best way to do it.

“Why hadn’t you say anything?” she asked, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away immediately. 

“Because who was I to take your happiness away if you had found it with another man? Even if it had killed me to give you up, I always had wanted, I _still_ want you to be happy. And if back then your happiness was not having me in your life, I wouldn’t have imposed myself in it.”

They were both openly crying now, not caring if someone saw them. The world had disappeared around them.

Raquel couldn’t breathe properly between the sobs as she absorbed what Sergio had said. He had also suffered back then for her actions as much as she had for his but he had still tried to make things right. How much time they had lost for their stubbornness. If she had waited a little longer, if he had tried to contact her anyway, maybe… maybe Paula would have grown up with a father (that’s, if Paula’s father was really Sergio) and she wouldn’t have been alone all those years.

She shook her head, trying not to dwell on what might have been, instead focusing on what could now be. Was she ready to forgive him? Did he still love her? And Paula?

“Raquel,” he said, oblivious to the thoughts swirling in her head. He took her hand, and instinctively their fingers entwined. “I don’t know what I was thinking, but when I saw the address on the invitation I knew that maybe this time I would have been able to say all this, even if you were with another man. I had to tell you that I had come back for you. Maybe this invitation was the push I needed to do it. I don’t know if you could ever forgive me for all the pain I gave you, but I feel slightly better because now you know that I didn’t give up on you immediately.”

Raquel knew that he was now waiting for her to say something, but the lump in her throat blocked the words. She didn’t know what to say or do. She could only stare into his eyes.

Given her silence, he gave her a sad smile, just the corner of his mouth lifting a little, and stood up, understanding that she may have needed some time alone to think over what he had said. 

He made his way to the stairs, needing himself some time alone, when he heard her. 

“Sergio, wait!” 

He turned and Raquel collided with his chest, wrapping her arms around him. He immediately embraced her back, resting his hands on her spine to pull her closer. After twenty years apart, it was indescribable the feel of her in his arms once again. Sergio didn’t know if he would have another chance, so he simply closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her hair.


	7. Super Trouper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hola! I’m updating now since I had this chapter already written, as it was part of the last one, but then I decided to split it. I don’t know when I’ll be able to post the next one, so I give you this for now.
> 
> I hope you like it and I apologise for any mistake, english is not my first language🙏🏻💞

After a few moments, Raquel pulled back and gave him a shy smile. When she’d seen him going away, something had clicked inside her, and she _had_ to stop him.

“Raqu-”

“I’m sorry to have caused you so much pain, Sergio.” she interrupted him once again. “I should have given you the benefit of the doubt when you said you were going to break things up with Veronica, but I was so hurt that all I had wanted was to be able to forget you.”

She sighed and Sergio gently caressed her cheek.

“For a while I also managed to, but then… then came Paula, and all the memories came back.”

“Is she my daughter?” 

The question struck her like a lightning and Raquel frowned.

“How did you…?”

“Come on Raquel.” exclaimed Sergio. “She can’t be more than twenty and it’s been almost twenty one years since we’ve last seen each other. I left Palawan in August and I bet her birthday is around the second half of April.” 

Raquel felt her cheeks getting warmer.

“The truth is that I don’t know who’s her father. It could be you, but it could be Suárez or Ángel as well…”

She had lowered her gaze as she spoke, unable to look into his eyes. It was as if she was another person, different from the Raquel she was before his explanation. Before that, she had felt so confident because she thought the fault was entirely his; now, as she had realised both had their fair share of fault, waves of guilt, shame and regret washed over her. 

“It’s not a thing I’m proud of, but until a few hours ago it wasn’t really an issue.” she confessed. ”Wait a moment.” 

He looked down at her with a questioning gaze.

“You talked about an invitation.”

“Yeah, the one you sent for Paula’s wedding.”

“I never sent you three an invitation!” 

In a moment the pieces of the puzzle clicked together and they realised what had really happened.

“Paula must have found my old diary. It’s the only way she could’ve known about you.” Raquel said, covering her once again flushed face. She stepped out completely from his embrace and turned away, hugging herself and rubbing her forearms.

“Hey, Raquel. _Escúchame_ _.”_ he said, coming up behind her and walking until he was in front of her once again. With a finger he lifted her chin up. “If she had been in any way bothered by this, she would have come to you for an explanation. Instead she didn’t tell you anything, maybe because she’s more afraid that you might get angry for her snooping around. That must be why she asked us to lie if you’d ever find us up in the goat house.”

“But how could I be angry with her if it was my mistake? It’s not her fault.” 

“Then you have to talk and explain all to her.”

“I’ll go now.” she said, but didn’t make a move to go and find Paula. Sergio looked down at her expectantly. “Then we’ll finish to talk too?”

He nodded and smiled, and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of his dimples framing his mouth.

“Alright then.” she whispered, and hesitantly she raised on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“See you later.” he whispered back when she leaned back. Both blushed at the gesture and then she was off searching her daughter.

* * *

Unluckily, Paula was nowhere to be found near the hotel, so Raquel assumed she was around the island doing god knew what.

Not in the mood to fix the crack in the pavement amymore, Raquel went to the kitchen to supervise the preparation of the food and cake for the next day, and only after a few hours she noticed what time it was.

She ran to her room, finding Alicia and Ágata already dressed. That night was Paula’s bachelorette party, and they had planned a little surprise for her. For a few minutes they would be once again the _Dalís_ , singing and dancing on a stage like they used to do back in their twenties.

” _Joder_ Raquel, five minutes more and I was going to drag you here!” exclaimed Alicia as Raquel hastily undressed and started donning her costume.

As soon as Raquel was dressed again, Ágata pushed her down on the chair by the desk and started doing her make-up, while Alicia braided her hair. It had always been like that: Raquel tending to the costumes, Ágata doing the make-up and Alicia thinking about hairdos.

“Down there it’s all ready?” asked Raquel once Ágata stepped back.

“Yes,” said Alicia, tugging down hard on a blonde strand. “ _I_ told your girls all they had to do.”

“Sorry ‘bout that. I lost track of the time.” Raquel amended, flashing a little smile to the redhead, who simply shook her head and smiled back.

“Raquel Fuentes Murillo, what I am ever going to do with you?”

“ _Lo siento,_ really. It’s that… I’ve had a lot to think about today and I kinda forgot about tonight.”

“Do you have something to tell us _cariño_?” asked Ágata, putting the final touches of her lipstick.

The blonde blushed and Alicia, seeing her red cheeks, swivelled the chair around and leaned down, now at eye level with Raquel.

“Yup, she does. Come on.”

“Well… I was trying to fix that damned crack and Sergio came, telling me he wanted to talk.”

The other two gasped at hearing Sergio’s name, and had to sit down on the bed to listen carefully.

“And?”

“And he said that after he went to Spain, he actually broke up with his fiancée and came back here, but then he was told that I was going out with Suárez, so he thought that, if I had found love with another one, who was he to hurt me again?”

Raquel had blurted it all out in one breath, feeling now less nervous about the whole situation.

Ágata passed a hand on her face, careful not to smudge the make-up, while Alicia just stared at Raquel with a shocked expression.

“So you’re telling us that you could’ve been together all this time if only…” 

“If only I had really believed him and waited a few more days? Yeah, that’s it Ágata.”

“ _Joder…_ I need to drink something.” murmured Alicia.

“After we finish here I’ll let you drink an entire bottle of whiskey, _vale_? Now we have a show to do.” said Raquel, getting up and reaching for the door handle.

* * *

The music was blasted out of the speakers at an incredibly high volume, and a large group of girls was dancing in the middle of the patio. 

As the song that was playing ended, the lights turned off, and Paula looked around her, trying to understand what was going on. Then, three beams of light fell on three women standing on a makeshift stage, and Paula let out an excited cry upon recognising her mother as the one in the middle.

A soft music started to play.

_Super trouper lights are gonna find me_

_But I won't feel blue_

_Like I always do_

_‘Cause somewhere in the crowd there's you_

_I was sick and tired of everything_

_When I called you last night from Glasgow_

_All I do is eat and sleep and sing_

_Wishing every show was the last show_

_So imagine I was glad to hear you're coming_

_Suddenly I feel all right_

_And it's gonna be so different_

_When I'm on the stage tonight_

The lights came up again as they started to sing, and all the girls down the stage eventually started to dance together with Raquel, Alicia and Ágata. 

Paula looked up at her mother and gave her a smile, eyes shining. Raquel smiled back and discreetly wiped away a tear.

_Tonight the_

_Super trouper lights are gonna find me_

_Shining like the sun_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_Smiling, having fun_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_Feeling like a number one_

_Tonight the_

_Super trouper beams are gonna blind me_

_But I won't feel blue_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_Like I always do_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_‘Cause somewhere in the crowd there's you_

Just as the chorus ended, Raquel saw Sergio, Suárez and Ángel standing near the farthest building that surrounded the patio, but she had only eyes for the first one. Their gazes locked together and they exchanged a smile. Raquel’s thoughts kept bouncing between Sergio and Paula, wondering if she was ready to forgive him - knowing deep down that the answer was affirmative - and how her daughter would react if she really started a relationship with Sergio.

Ágata noticed that her friend kept looking behind their audience rather than at it, so she followed her gaze and found the three men looking at them and cheering. At the first occasion she had, she lightly elbowed Alicia and pointed at the men with a shake of her head. When also Alicia saw them, she smiled knowingly, having noticed how Sergio was looking at Raquel.

_So I'll be there when you arrive_

_The sight of you will prove to me I'm still alive_

_And when you take me in your arms_

_And hold me tight_

_I know it's gonna mean so much tonight_

_Tonight the_

_Super trouper lights are gonna find me_

_Shining like the sun_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_Smiling, having fun_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_Feeling like a number one_

_Tonight the_

_Super trouper beams are gonna blind me_

_But I won't feel blue_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_Like I always do_

_(Sup-p-per troup-p-per)_

_‘Cause somewhere in the crowd there's you_

_(Super trouper lights are gonna find me)_

As the music faded, whistles and applauses erupted from the girls, and Paula couldn’t help but climbing on the stage and embracing her mother tight.

“Thank you so much _mama_.”

“ _Te quiero, mi amor.”_ whispered Raquel against her temple. “Go on with the party, we’re gonna get changed and then come back.”

“ _Vale,_ see you later.”

* * *

As soon as she had put on a simple black dress and more comfortable shoes than those high heeled boots, Raquel ran out from her room and looked for Sergio. She found him near the stairs that led to the beach, leaning against the low wall.

“Hey.” she called out, waving her hand.

“ _Hola._ ” he answered.

They stood in front of each other nervously, unsure of who should make the first move.

“Do you wanna take a walk on the beach?” Sergio suggested after a few minutes, reaching out hesitantly to brush his fingers against the back of her hand. She simply nodded and unconsciously turned her hand so that it could hold his properly.

When they reached the beach, they walked for a while along the shore,the waves gently lapping at the sand near their feet.

“How have you been after I left you here?” asked Sergio when they found a seat on a dry log the sea had dragged there days ago. Raquel buried her toes in the fine sand, pondering her answer.

“It took me a while to accept the fact that I wasn’t going to see you again. Then I had to take care of little Paula and the hotel couldn’t ran itself. I was busy all day, and then came the night. I used to spend a lot of time lying in bed thinking about what could’ve been, you know, if you had come back. Slowly I thought about you less and less, but I now know that rather than forget I had simply locked away all the memories and feelings related to you.”

Sergio reached out and squeezed her hand, understanding that she had somehow to cope with the pain, so he couldn’t hold against her how she’d done it, because he’d done the same, throwing himself in work to keep his head busy. But now that he was there, he wanted to know if there could be even the slightest possibility for them to be together again.

“So you haven’t found… I mean… you haven’t been with anyone else since then? Apart from Mario and Ángel.” he blurted out, his cheeks reddening lightly.

Raquel chuckled at his tentative to know more about her love life, but decided against teasing him. Her mind was already made up. They had wasted so much time, so if fate had decided to give them another possibility, why should she throw it away?

“Not really. I mean,” she hastily added after seeing him frown. “I’ve had a few dates over the years, but I was never comfortable enough to take things to the next step.”

They both stared at the reflection of the moon on the dark water.

“And you?” 

“There hasn’t been anyone since you.” he admitted.

Raquel felt a warm sensation running through her veins. She turned, finding him already watching her, and their eyes met still another time for that night. They unconsciously started to lean closer, so slowly that neither noticed it until they could feel each other’s breath hitting their skin. His eyes dropped for an istant to her lips, and Raquel licked them instinctively, appreciating the way his eyes darkened at the gesture.

“Raquel…” he whispered, bringing his hand up to brush caress her cheek. “Tell me you want to try and give us another chance, _por favor._ ”

She just stared at him, and let her eyes fall on his lips too, before leaning in and closing the distance between them. The world stopped existing around them, there were only them and the feel of their lips touching in a gentle kiss. 

Raquel pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes, but Sergio followed her, locking their lips together again. Slowly, they deepened the kiss, rediscovering each other’s feel and taste after twenty years apart. Her hands buried themselves in his hair, tugging lightly on the dark locks when their tongues met. Sergio, instead, rested his hands on her back, pulling her closer to be able to kiss her better.

When they leaned back, he circled her shoulders with his arms, holding her tightly against him, while she rested her head on his chest, listening to the frantic rhythm of his heart under her ear. She knew hers was beating just as fast.

“I’ve missed you so much.” he murmured in her hair, taking in her floreal scent. 

“Me too.” she replied, her words muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

As the tide began to get higher, they shuffled around, so that now Sergio was sitting on the sand with his back against the log out of its reach, while Raquel settled between his legs, leaning against his chest. His arms were wrapped around her waist, and she laced their fingers together, snuggling closer to him. She knew they should head back to her daughter’s party, but she wanted to bask for a little while more in the sensation of finally having Sergio back in her life.

She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a little sigh when he lazily started to drop kisses on the side of her neck. They stayed there for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company, and using that time to talk a little more about the years they spent apart. 

Then, they heard Alicia screaming something, the words confused as they were far from the hotel, but Raquel recognised immediately her friend’s voice.

“We better go back. I still need the hotel to be in one piece tomorrow.” sighed Raquel, a little disappointed that their time alone had already ended.

She got up and helped Sergio to get on his feet. But before walking back, she looked up at him expectantly. Sergio saw the silent plea written in her eyes and brought her in for a deep and slow kiss that left them both breathless.

“ _Vamos._ ” said Raquel against his lips, and then they were off to the party.


End file.
